What is the Latin word for acknowledge?

The usual Latin words for “acknowledge” are agnōscō, cognōscō, fateor; also cōnfiteor, profiteor. The right choice depends on the sense; see the distinctions below.

English → Latin

“acknowledge” in Latin

agnōscōto recognize, realize or discern, become acquainted with, know, perceive; to acknowledge or claim cognōscōto learn, to get to know; to be acquainted (with someone), recognize, apprehend; to know, perceive, understand fateorto confess, admit; to acknowledge, own; to show, indicate cōnfiteorto confess, admit; to acknowledge, agree; to reveal, show profiteorto declare publicly, own (up to) or confess openly, acknowledge, avow, profess; to offer freely, promise; to profess, cl

Riddle & Arnold A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon, 1864

acknowledge

agnoscere, cognoscere (to recognize anything, then to acknowledge it to be what it is): appellare aliquem (with accusative of a title: to acknowledge, e.g., a king, etc.). To acknowledge a man for one’s son, agnoscere aliquem tilium: not to acknowledge him as one’s son any longer, abdicare filium. To acknowledge a man as king, regem appellare aliquem (to declare him king), aliquiparere (to obey him): not to acknowledge a man for one’s king, detrectare alicujus imperium.

Confess, fateor (mostly implying a previous question), confiteor, profiteor (confiteor, reluctantly, from being unable to conceal: profiteor, freely, openly), often joined with prae se ferre. To acknowledge openly, honestly, freely, aperte, ingenue, aperte et ingenue, libere confiteri; libere profiteri. To acknowledge a debt, confiteri aes alienum (xii tabb. ap. Gell., etc.), confiteri nomen: fateri se debere, not to acknowledge a debt, infitiari debitum. To acknowledge a sin, confiteri peccatum (Cic.) or se peccasse. To acknowledge the truth of Christianity, Christum sequi; *doctrinam Christianamprofiteri.

To allow that one has received, implying that one owes a return: to acknowledge kindnesses, beneficia grate interpretari (Plin., Ep., 2, 13, 9). To acknowledge that they are conquered, unskillful, etc., confiteri se victos, imperitos, etc.

Quick answer

What is the Latin word for acknowledge?: The usual Latin words for “acknowledge” are agnōscō, cognōscō, fateor; also cōnfiteor, profiteor. The right choice depends on the sense; see the distinctions below.

Entry from J. E. Riddle & T. K. Arnold, A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon (rev. C. Anthon, New York: Harper, 1864), digitised by Fergus J. P. Walsh, CC BY-SA 4.0; Latin markup adapted by latindictionary.co.